Well, we’re off!! The opening dance wasn’t nearly as exciting or as well executed as it was the first time around, but still good.

I confess I didn’t watch Enrique as he doesn’t really interest me.

I dig the pro segments, specially when Derek looks so gorg!!

And Amber and Derek win the Encore. Hmmmm…I hope her fans didn’t spend all their time tweeting. 🙂

Discuss.

SPOILERS….in case you couldnt’ tell from the comment…

After getting 9’s in the fusion, there was pretty much no way, mathematically, that Jack was going to win. That left it between Corbin and Amber, Corbin with a bigger deficit than has ever been overcome in a finale.

Season 17 Champs: AMBER RILEY AND DEREK HOUGH.

I think this is the first African American woman to win the MBT, correct? Also the first plus sized woman?? Awesome.

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

The only thing REALLY bugging me about tonight so far is the OVERABUNDANCE of prerecorded bits. I don’t mind when acts are prerecorded, sometimes it’s necessary. But having so many pieces including the finale people I think is unnecessary. It’s hard enough for them to come out and concentrate on what they need to do without making them dance so much before the show.

It is fun to see them all dance and I too would like to know who was impersonating Bill Nye…that was hilarious….lol. They are all going to be exhausted by the end of the night. It is probably good they are getting on a plane….perhaps they can catch a nap…lol

You know what PH I agree with you that “Foxin Awesome” was better tonight. I also thought it was so cool that they added the duo to the end of it. I think that is the first time I remember seeing any of the guest singers themselves dancing even a little with the pro’s or in this case a mixture of the pro’s ad stars.

Aww poor Corbin, what a time to have a little miss. My heart breaks for him just like it did Jack last night! The fusion was great though…glad they got the nines. I can’t imagine all the stress they are under and how tired they must be.

I was expecting Corbin to get a 30 for the fusion, but he did make a couple noticeable mistakes. I don’t think Jack will get a 30, based on the little clip of practice we saw – it seemed like he was struggling with the hip action. So if Amber kills it (a good chance, given Derek’s record and Amber’s performance quality), it might give her the win.

Oh Len…I think you should keep your comments to less favoritism. Let’s remember when you called Elizabeth your favorite dancer she got voted off. It’s probably just me, but telling anyone of the dancers they are your favorite just sees inappropriate.

And well deserved. i would have liked to see Jack at least place second but overall, I really enjoyed this season more than the last couple of ones. I will be interested to see what the next season shapes up to be.
Again, thanks to everyone at Pure for adding the extra dimension that makes the show so enjoyable!

Yayy Amber & Derek!! Amber, you SO deserve this. You’re an incredible person and I’m so glad for you 🙂 And Derek–fifth mirror ball trophy?! You’re amazingly talented, awesome, remarkable, beautiful (obviously)… So much love for you right now <3

This season made me really made me look at Derek. I thought there was favoritism, some of his behavior turned me off. Now I see that just a big goof! But he has so much talent, not just in dancing and choreography but understanding his partner and how to bring out the best in them. I thought he’d be challenged this season because of Amber’s size and lack of dance experience and flexibility. But he showed me! And he showed the world that Amber truly is a gifted performer. He just needed to bring it out of her so she could show it to the world. I am in awe.

I just realized After Buzz totally missed the mark this time. A lot of people could see Amber winning from a mile away. I wanted to, but I was to afraid to jinx it.

But I will say the Derek and Amber were at a advantage for the fusion dance. Not only because of Derek’s choreography, but also at the fact that Amber can pick up routines really fast. That disastrous week of hers, she had so little rehearsal time and still pulled off some decent scores. Seriously, Amber has a lot talent I would kill for. I’ve been dancing few years and I’m petrified of learning a routine in only a week! Let alone a whole style? Wow…

@Frida – Same with me. I think I just never paid attention to him before. I mean close attention. So I always found some things as biased and favouritism. I don’t think that anymore. This year is the first year. I really started to like him. He also has a fun/goofy side. I never saw before. He’s talented at what he does and deserves all of it.

Congrats Amber & Derek! Such an amazing WIN!!! She showed women of all shapes and sizes to go out there, do what you want to do – no limits. I’m so proud of her-moved.

Derek is just the best choreographer, teacher and coach this has seen-IMO I was so moved by what Amber said about him and how he motivates and encourages to be her best and NEVER give up. Life lessons indeed. I’ve always felt this about him but it was so beautiful to hear it said.

Either couple could have won but after the last two nights of performances, especially tonight and the challenge of the Samba/Quickstep challenge, I feel the right team won!!

Their both so inspiring. Way to go Amber & Derek~

I have to say this too, she is the first African American Female to win DWTS! #BlackGirlsRock (I’m a black girl too)-lol HAPPY!!

Annie after his behavior, which was totally unprofessional, I don’t think a lot of us will. I was luke warm with many of the pros, since they all seem nice. But Tony just really turned me off this season.

Congrats Amber and Derek!!! Sigh. The hate is tiring, and all I really want to do is take Kellie’s freestyle and Amber’s freestyle and dare people to tell me that Derek isn’t the best choreographer the show’s ever had. Seriously. If a goat had personality, he could choreograph a dance for it.

I really did love all the finalists though. Jack and Cheryl were particularly moving. Who would’ve thought that the guy would do so well with a Fred Astaire-inspired number? And Cheryl telling him that he’s her favorite partner?? So sweet 😀

And quoting Mercedes on glee: “I am Beyoncé, I ain’t no Kelly Rowland”… HELL YEAH, GIRLL! Congratulations to Amber & Derek. Tough season, but that girl was on fire! The Quickstep-Samba fusion was flawless and a great closure to her amazing journey.

Thanks to the Mods. I love you, guys; you make watching DWTS a complete experience. Tequila shots for everyone!

@Annie . For me, I actually LIKED Tony. To the point I felt bad for him for getting such lame partners (Wendy Williams, Martina Navratilova) .. But ever since he won, he just became so unlikeable and so annoying. Now I can’t stand the man.

I am soooo happy about this win I just can’t even describe. IMO there was a big change in Derek when he came back for season 14 it’s been there ever since. He’d always seemed very natural and unfiltered and having a lot of fun but starting that season I thought he had a deeper understanding of the whole experience, how inspiring it was for so many and learning about that, he got even more invested and really loved showing his ideas to the world. It is so beautiful the way he takes care of his partners and just does everything he can to make them shine.

Both in the freestyle he choreographed for Amber, and after the win, Derek was incredibly generous in letting it be Amber’s moment, without trying to make it be his moment too – I can’t think of any other pro who would pretty much make themselves a backup dancer for their celeb’s freestyle.

Very happy with the results — not only did Derek do a great job in teaching and choreographing, but Amber brought it when it counted, which is where Corbin fell a little short.

I’ve always liked Derek, but I agree with RaineMayer that Derek 2.0 (after his season off) is really a beacon of positivity. I think that his initial win with Brooke was a surprise to him, and had him still in a more ballroom competition mode, and he was more tense during his Nicole/Jennifer Grey seasons, due in no small part to the expectations and injury issues in those seasons.

But after his break, he’s really been focused on creating performances and not so much on scoring/competition, and it’s really freed him creatively, and seems to have given him a much more positive outlook. Maybe it’s just growing up, but I have a lot of admiration for what he’s achieved personally and professionally in the last few years.

Strangely enough, as much as I felt he and Shawn should have won the All Star Season, him not winning might have benefited all of us who enjoy watching him. By all indicators, he intended that to be his last season, and had he won, maybe he would have been more resolved to leave…but instead he came back for the past two seasons, which have been among his best.

I was rewatching Amber’s win, and after it was announced, all the pros and celebs rushed over to congratulate Amber and Derek – except Tony and Leah. I didn’t see them in the crowd around Amber at all. So sweet to see Emma – I think she got to Amber first, and was so excited for her.

See people always complain that derek always win but come on you gotta love the guy hes funny sweet smart that what draws us to him and really i believe that when he didnt win his season with shawn that karma is a b!tch i mean thnx about it if you dont first succeed try try again and thats just what he did yay amber and derek 🙂 and we all knoe abc cheated for tony now they made him think he actually that good :/ why did they have to go and do that lol

Wohooo! 5th! Been a fan of derek’s since he first joined way back in season 5! Also love cheryl and how she’s been this season. Would also have loved it if jack won but i think amber’s super deserving because of her consistency. Derek’s such a genius! Hope his back to back wins will not make him think of leaving dwts!

I was thrilled as soon as they announced third place. I would have been happy with either Corbin or Amber winning. And I think it was the disparity in points that lost Corbin the trophy. But he and Karina put up a hell of a fight – I loved them together.

The Derek hate started immediately – the manager of my former dance studio (guess which one!) retweeted that stupid “Derek with the stars” tweet, then chewed me out when I said something to him, calling me a Stan and telling me the scores are decided on Sundays and viewer votes don’t count. So embarrassing. I wanted to slam him so bad, then I decided to just make like Derek and rid myself of the negativity :)))))

Derek must be even more amazing as a person than we think for all these incredible things to be happening to him. I hope he takes his 5 mirrorballs and his Emmy and runs. Much bigger things await him.

How can anyone think that the C Brothers and Derek are friends in real life if their close friends ( C Bros) tweet negative things like Anna R (#74) just said. I saw that tweet from the manager in NYC and their voice over friend from LA ( it’s easy to see who she is talking about)…. they can’t possibly like Derek if their friends make statements, how sad is that. Try not to be too obvious guys.

I refuse to care ab the haters anymore. The more they hate the more fortune Derek has. I think it is so funny that all the haters were in cloud 9 when Tony won bc Derek finally lost, the C bros thought it was the end of an Era :)))What was Derek’s answer to that? 2 mirror ball throphies and an Emmy, all in one year. Hell yeah! I’m so happy at the moment that no hater can ruin that, who the hell cares what they think?? I do hope that Derek takes a break from DWTS bc he is bigger than the show and I just really want to see who the C bros and Tony will blame when they loose, if Derek is not around :))))
Wonderful night. Congrats to Amber and Derek!

I wish the people (not saying on this site but in general on twitter/instagram) realize that this competition is not about Derek winning a MBT, it’s about the celeb. Derek is just a great teacher and choreographer.

Amber was amazing every week. Yes, she did have a slight injury that may have held her back a couple weeks but this week and last, she brought it and deserves the MBT.

I admit, I voted for Corbin because I was a huge HSM fan when I was in high school but I wouldn’t have been bothered if any of the three won because they all had different strengths that could had them win.

I am so thrilled. Derek and Amber were fabulous!!! Mark? You know, I’m not a fan of his, at all. But he and Derek are so close. Probably even closer than real brothers would be. And somehow that is speaking to me. After Derek and Amber’s fusion dance, which was absolutely fabulous, the camera panned to the bus stop. Of course, Mark was up on his feet clapping but he was looking down the floor at Derek and shaking his head like yes, it was on, it was perfect. I mean the support there is something else. So if Derek thinks so highly of him, maybe I need to give him a break? Derek is just head and shoulders in the choreography department. He truly is gifted but we all knew that, didn’t we?

Apparently, Karina had a family emergency that she found out about right before they announced the winners, which Corbin said (see the post-show interviews) was the reason for a lot of her emotion as they were waiting for the reveal. And then in one of Bill and Emma’s interviews, they said that because of the storm, they didn’t have to go to NY.

It was a great finale! Loved the opening, many of the pro numbers and I thought for the encores Brant/Christina duo and Snooki were awesome!

All the fusions were good but Amber & Derek really stood above the rest with choreography and execution of it.

I really thought Jack’s likeability and story could propel him above everyone. But when Jack get third I pretty much knew Amber would win. I think they turned it on in the semis and finals and stood out above everyone else and it propelled her to the win. But honestly I think her and Derek’s fanbases combined could have had them in the lead all season!

So glad Derek makes the whole process and the wins about his celebs and not himself, unlike other pros. I will miss him when he leaves the show but I almost do want him to move on now for sure. I definitely think the newer pro blood in Sharna, Emma, hopefully soon Henry, Tristan, Sasha etc can keep the show and choreography feeling fresh and exciting. Who knows what he will do since he loves the journey of a partnership and has spoken in interviews that Amber’s finale thank you video to him was the best thing about the night. Such a contrast in attitude toward the process to Maks’ recent interview where he said he will never be back as a pro dancer because he no longer wanted to ‘give up’ about 14 weeks x 2 out of his years to devote to someone else…..

I was beyond thrilled with the results. I’m a huge Derek lover and teared up as I watched Amber describe what Derek’s partnership meant to her. So sweet! :’) I don’t understand how anyone can say Derek is cocky at all. In their Freestyle, he let Amber shine. I don’t see many male Pro’s who’d let their Celeb do that. Derek choreographs a routine to make his partner shine.

Finding out the results made a crappy night at work SO much better!! So thank you Amber and Derek for a terrific season! Now I gotta wait till March!!! UGH!! It’s gonna be a LOOOONG winter!! And I live in the snow belt too!

A big congratulations to Amber and Derek! I would have been happy for any of the three to win and also a bit sad for which ever 2 didn’t. There were a few really likable pairs this season, lots of hard work, very inspiring.

I think Amber is blessed with a great memory, which helps her pick up the routines quicker.

I will do a numbers post later in the week, but as soon as Jack didn’t get 10’s for his fusion, I knew he was done for. I figured Corbin was too, but you never know. Sometimes the younger fanbases just don’t vote – but then Corbin’s is probably younger too. Hard to say. Kinda surprised that Corbin didn’t do that well in his dances – and really, as someone who doesn’t need to have her favorite win anymore, I can say that.

AR, between Season 7, when Derek was 23 and now when he’s 28 – those are pretty big “growing up” years for men, I think. But besides that, he does have this really positive, upbeat spirit – I don’t know how he does it. Old soul?

Cheryl, I think Mark and Derek had a rough patch for a while, but that is clearly all behind them now – and as a result, I find myself appreciating Mark more as well. It seems to me like he’s got Derek’s back again, like he did once upon a time.

As for Cheryl Burke – props to her too. She’s been great this season, both in attitude and style. She looks amazing. She looks *happy* and that probably helps.

A couple of seasons ago there was much discussion about Derek “moving on.” But he didn’t and look what he has done….danced amazing dances with Shawn, won with Kellie, won with Amber, Gravity Defying dance, earned an Emmy and gave us all so much joy and entertainment. I’m glad we didn’t miss that. Derek seems to have a wisdom about him so I’ll just trust he will do what’s best. Also, selfishly, I would hate to have to watch DWTS without him. Wishing him so much happiness and success personally and professionally. Thank you everyone at Pure DWTS and Pure Derek Hough for all your hard work and dedication. Watching wouldn’t be as much fun without being able to share with you all.

Agree about Cheryl, Heidi. I think this was my favorite season of hers. You could tell that she adored working with Jack and I think, while it may not have been exciting or full of tricks, the traditional Ballroom take on their Freestyle makes it one of my favorites in the whole 17 seasons.

Congratulations to Amber and Derek. They had to work through a lot of adversity and Derek sure knows how to make his partner shine. I loved their freestyle and fusion dance. Derek seemed a bit down last night and even on GMA today. Maybe he’s just exhausted.

So sorry Karina was having to deal with bad news during the finale. The pros sacrifice a lot. I’m sure she wished she could have been with her family. I was actually a bit surprised Corbin was able to get second. I guess his prior dance training didn’t turn off that many people.

Loved Cheryl this season. I’m so happy she seems happy. I’m glad whatever was causing her attitude the last few seasons is gone. I’m betting she wasn’t in a good place then. Jack was an inspiration to her and us.

So glad we got to have Emma as a pro this season. She will be a great addition and she seemed so genuinely happy for the opportunity.

As for the show last night, overall I didn’t enjoy it. Too much uninteresting filler for me, which made it feel too long. I miss Dance Center, the behind the scenes stuff and the couples having fun together. It felt like a lot of it was pre-recorded. Even Tom slipped when he told Derek and Amber to go back and get dressed for their fusion and then we got the foxy dance. I have to add, I’m really sick of the lip-synching singers we’ve been getting. They get to tape most of their performances. Can’t any of them sing without auto tune?

I really, really hesitate to say this because I liked everyone who made the finals, but seeing all the other couples perform last night made me feel like some went home too soon and should have been in the finals. I cringe when I say that because I’m really a big believer in the journey and thinking the viewers get to decide why they vote for people, but it bothered me last night when I saw Snooki, Liz, Brant and Christina. I’m feeling very conflicted even saying that.

Congratulations to Amber and Derek! Agree it has been one of the best finales–loved all the freestyles, and the heartfelt partnerships of the final four. And thank you to all the moderators at Pure!! I’ve so enjoyed this site.

@KarenT I gotta agree on the filler stuff. Last night’s show just felt really slow, unlike previous finales. Maybe they got so used to jam-packing everything into one night a week that, when given a second night, they didn’t know what to do with it.

#103 KarenT – I too never understood why many thought Corbin would stroll through every dance. He is trained is dance, but not BALLROOM dancing, if he was a “perfect” dancer, the judges wouldn’t have called him out so many times and he would have had more 10s IMHO. He was able to get second place because he is still very popular and his HSM cast mates were tweeting and fb posting their fans to vote as well. Plus, he was very likable and sincere. His momma did a fine job raising a gentleman….this was a great season….I would have been happy with anyone but Leah or Liz being in finals.

Oh sheery, Corbin’s training is an advantage and he did do very well in most dances. The great dancers ALWAYS get called out on this show – Mya, Nicole, Corbin, all of them. If you go strictly by who gets called out and who gets 10’s to determine if someone is a great dancer or not, you’ve not been paying attention to this show at all.

PH and the moderators, please forgive me! I posted the below on the wrong article rather than this one, it was meant to be here.

It feels weird to be posting a week later, but we were out of town and did not see the shows on DVR until last night. This may be the last post on this article.

The three finalists were all deserving, and Amber is a very good winner.

Just a few remarks about some of the pros, whom we have enjoyed very much this year, including the little snippets we see at commercial breaks.

Derek is in a class by himself, so glad to read that he’s going to be on the cruise.

We thought Karina maybe tried a little to hard. It was interesting that others have remarked that the packages each week did not reveal a softer side, which I’m sure is there.

Cheryl was a favorite for us this year – a surprise after previous years, quite frankly. It may have been working with Jack and his MS. I have had an aunt and uncle who had this disease, and several cousins as well (it seems to run in families?) The amount of effort he has had to put forth is unbelievable. It really seemed like each week Cheryl became more and more understanding about the process. Also, the close-ups on her in rehearsal, without make-up but showing off the cute freckles, really made her a lot more “real” to us this season. Anyway, congratulations to her for really making a partnership work!

Emma was a class act all season and by far did the most to improve their partner. She could be a force for many years, and is just so likeable.

As for next year, we hope TPTB give Witney a shot at a celeb partner. Lindsey took the Boxer through five weeks which was a miracle, Tyne had a shot this year with Bill Nye, so we would really like to see what Witney could do. While we were out of town we caught some old SYTYCD episodes on an obscure cable channel, and she had some really good dances across all styles.

Overall, since there were so fewer pro dances this year that we saw because of the one show format, we cherished them more.